“Fix a date for Dreamland Margate…”

Summer 1953: peace reigns in Europe, and the waters of the English Channel are troubled only by holidaymakers. Young and old alike have flocked to Margate for summer loving and strolls on the promenade.

But at a quiet pub set back from the seafront, the landlady has a nuisance on her hands. She’s confronted with a suitor who simply won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. And, when he comes up with a last-ditch plan to win her heart, our formidable heroine gives him more than he’d bargained for…

Written after a stint campaigning with the Suffragettes, Dame Ethel Smyth’s opera put female emancipation centre stage when it premiered a century ago. With rollicking humour, romantic yearning and a new arrangement for piano trio, Spectra Ensemble’s acclaimed revival brings this neglected gem to a new audience.